Hippocrates said circa 400BC that “food should be our medicine and medicine should be our food”. He would probably turn in his grave if he saw the amount of highly processed, sugary food and drinks marketed…

We all know obesity is a common, serious, and costly health issue. But while government action has stalled and the debate rages on about how best to combat this growing public health disaster, junk food…

Local communities can support healthy eating and active lifestyles in a range of settings.
Peter Bernik/ShutterstockOctober 14 2014

Over the past three decades, the Australasia region has outpaced other regions of the world with the largest absolute increase in adult obesity. Poor diet and high body mass index have overtaken tobacco…

The food company sponsorship of the World Cup, including from soft drink giant Coca-Cola, is arguably a direct attack on efforts to improve child health in Latin America.
EPA/Guillaume HorcajueloJuly 8 2014

On Saturday night, just hours before the latest quarter-finals of the World Cup, viewers watching SBS World News were exposed to over two and a half minutes of marketing for Coca-Cola. And that’s not even…

Supermarkets are an essential part of modern living – open almost all the time, selling almost everything, and selling it cheap. Nowhere is this more true than in Australia. Coles and Woolworths, our two…

Advergames on mobile phones allow advertisers to directly target young children with games that promote unhealthy food.
Toca Boca/flickr December 6 2013

Advergaming is a relatively recent approach to advertising that overcomes many of the limitations of traditional advertising. But advergames are increasingly being used by fast food companies to target…

The government wants to improve children’s diets by banning packed lunches and barring children from leaving school at lunchtime to prevent them from buying unhealthy food. School lunches are healthier…

The Australian Football League (AFL) and Cricket Australia have refused to sell advertising space to a Tasmanian man trying to raise awareness of the impact of junk food and alcohol advertising linked…

Many proposed measures for curbing obesity around the work are aimed at restricting the intake sugar from soft drinks.
Robert HuffstutterFebruary 19 2013

Merely two months into the new year and we have already seen a plethora of local and international efforts aimed at curbing what appears to be the inexorable rise of obesity. Some of these initiatives…

Coca-Cola’s business strategy is to build brand loyality and trust.
Flickr/orangeacidJanuary 18 2013

Coca-Cola made headlines this week with a new television advertising campaign. It begins with a voice-over: “We’d like people to come together on something that concerns all of us – obesity”. The ad then…

Over the weekend, Australian children and their parents witnessed some of the country’s finest sportsmen display feats of strength, skill and endurance in the Australian Football League (AFL) and National…

The future of advertising: Coca Cola have launched an Australian campaign as part of their joint venture with music streaming service, Spotify.
Flickr/SoroshSeptember 26 2012

The Australian launch of a joint venture campaign between soft drink behemoth Coca Cola with Swedish music streaming service Spotify and Universal Music, represents the new world of advertising. The “Share…

McDonald’s has been slapped on the wrist for marketing its Happy Meal to children online.
SkynetJuly 11 2012

As public health organisations and the food and advertising industries continue to debate the regulation of marketing unhealthy foods to children, I’ve learnt that health organisations must take the wins…

OBESE NATION: It’s time to admit it - Australia is becoming an obese nation. This series looks at how this has happened and more importantly, what we can do to stop the obesity epidemic. Today Rob Moodie…

The furore following the announcement that Jenny Craig CEO Amy Smith would address a gathering of hundreds of girls' school teachers has once again brought the uncomfortable issue of corporate presence…

Children remember advertisements and, more often than not, they want what they see.
Dimitris PapazimourisFebruary 1 2012

The impact of junk food advertising on childhood obesity is a topic often debated in the media. One side calls for banning junk food advertising during children’s television viewing times while the other…